How to enhance your pheromones

Pheromones are powerful “communication chemicals” made by our bodies that may impact the behavior of the receiving individual. These clever chemicals are produced in both animals and plants and they come in many forms: from alarm pheromones to food trail pheromones and sex pheromones. Both men and women produce pheromones of different varieties and they are basically made from a variety of compounds including amino acids and proteins, most commonly released through sweat. Our pheromones are said to be emitted at higher levels when the body is healthy and functioning well.

Modern practices, such as over-washing, shaving and dousing our skins in synthetic fragranced cosmetics, remove or hide our own natural scents. Washing is important, of course, for obvious reasons and, let’s face it, not all natural scents are pleasant. However, over-zealous washing is not only bad for the skin (robbing it of important lipids) but may inhibit your scent print.

With many fragrances released on the market recently containing synthetic forms of human pheromones, these chemicals are highly sought-after. Androstenone, for example, is a chemical produced in the armpits of men and is being widely used in these new “pheromone perfumes”. However, this chemical is known to trigger aggression in animals, so why would you want more, especially if you produce your own only to wash it away?

A little less over-washing, less soap and a touch of your own sweat/natural scent combined with plant pheromones may be the way to go. Plants are rich in chemicals that have pleasant scents and positive communicative qualities. Lavender, for example, stimulates the release of neurochemicals to produce a relaxing effect on the mind and body. Ylang ylang stimulates the release of more sexually stimulating neurochemicals and is a renowned aphrodisiac. Essential oils of plants are volatile oils that work together synergistically with your own scent profile to enhance it as opposed to synthetic fragrances that are toxic and may mask it.

Plants use their own scent chemicals to lure bees and other pollinators to their flowers and certain plant pheromones have similar chemistry to animal pheromones. Musk, for example, is a strong pheromone derived from the musk deer and was popularly used in perfume ingredients. But similar pheromones exist in musk hyacinths, musk cherries, musk thistle, musk rose and musk wood.

The highly sought-after truffle is another plant rich in pheromones; prized by gourmands around the world, these aromatic fungi are reputed to be aphrodisiacs. They possess an odour almost identical to that of androstenol, a chemical believed to act as a sex attractant in animals.

It is said, however, that the aromatic plant oils with some of the strongest similarities to human sexual pheromones come from jasmine, ylang ylang, patchouli and sandalwood. Although a fragrance coveted by women, men generally are not so partial to patchouli as it’s thought to mimic men’s sweat pheromones. Some oils are purported to enhance mutual attraction, such as musk and sandalwood.

One way to increase your natural pheromones is to be healthy and exercise regularly. Regular exercising is known to increase pheromone-producing testosterone in the body. The herb tribulus may also be of help; it’s purported to increase testosterone in men and stimulate the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone in women (resulting in increased production of oestradiol) and is thought to enhance libido in both men and women. It’s wise to check with your health practitioner before doing this, though, as there can be contraindications for increasing levels of testosterone and taking supplements.

Here is a beautiful naturally scented balm to mix with your own unique scent profile.